Shelved Dolls: Eva “Evita” Peron – OH MY GOD THEY CUT OUT HER BRAIN

Look, can I tell you something that is actually, I think, legitimately a secret no one knows? Sure I can! And I will!

Whenever I do something I’m really proud of I play High Flying, Adored from the smash musical spectacular Evita. Here it is:

I realize this is amazingly hubristic, which is why I don’t usually tell people. My event has to be something I’m extraordinarily proud of. It can’t be like “I’m proud that I successfully got my cable service changed.” Oh. Well, it could totally be that, I mean, doing that’s a nightmare, but, you know, generally this Andrew Lloyd Webber composition is a song I play to go along with promotions, or getting pieces published somewhere I admire or . . . those are the only things I use it for, ever. I always figured if I ever have a book published, I would not play it at the party, because, again, super self-congratulatory song, but I would certainly play it with the volume all the way up on the car ride over.

I love it so much I try to dole it out sparingly is what I’m getting at.

Evita is, hands down, my favorite musical. This is not a secret. That’s because it is a well known fact that, no matter how much Sex Pistols and Velvet Underground you program into your iPhone, when it accidentally goes off in public, it’s going to play whatever Andrew Lloyd Webber you have stored in there.

When it’s not accidentally going off, I’ve mentioned to people that I tend to listen to all of Evita right after break-ups because “I draw courage from her incredible true life story.” People think that I’m being droll, so I have to explain that I am not. And then people look at me like I’m a psychopath, because, I guess I know some people who don’t love fascism.

Losers.

I’ve actually always wondered how much of a fascist Eva Peron was really. Was she the scrappy yet immaculately Dior clad fighter who could not be kept down by anyone, that I’ve come to admire? I do love plucky women. Or was she, you know, Mussolini in a dress? Maybe both!

I really didn’t know a lot about her besides the um, fascism part. The lobotomy! Holy shit.

Seeing as you don’t seem to mind controversy, any chances of there ever being a Shelved Dolls on the Mitford Sisters?

BeccaTheCyborg

Okay, maybe just the super-famous Mitford sisters? I’m mostly thinking when Jessica and Diana divided their shared bedroom wacky sitcom-style and put up respectively posters of Marx and Hitler. Because seriously.

Mallory Archer

This article was fascinating! Growing up with a gay father who made me watch Evita all the time and made me listen to the soundtrack, I had no idea that Evita was actually a real person who had issues, made her way to the top and paved the way for female politicians in Argentina. The lobotomy part was a huge plus.

Jennifer, I love your “Shelved dolls” articles, they literally are the best.

You should totally do one on Eva Braun or something.

Ali

Yes! Do Eva Braun! Also, this article was fantastic.

Jennifer Wright

YES EVA BRAUN! I want to do the Mitford Sisters, too, but there are a lot of them, and it’s hard to know where to start.

Lana Kane

Jennifer, please do one on Eva Braun and have you done one yet on Isabel of Castille? She had a pretty screwed up life and then you can talk about how she burnt hundreds of jews or made them convert!

Guest.

I actually like Isabelle. Compared to others, she was pretty innocent.

Hannah

Can you do a non white person next time?

Cristal

Sarah Forbes Bonetta would be a good story.

Mints22

It’s kind of annoying that everyone refers to her as a fascist. Fascism is, by definition, right-wing. Peronismo was leftist! “Totalitarian” is fair, but totalitarian is not the same as fascism. Sorry, </end political science nerd rant.

Naomi

THANK you.

MR

Nice write up. The rise of organized labor, Argentina’s version – she fit right into Peron’s populist political face.

Alle C

That makes me feel cold all over. I had cervical cancer when I was 24, and my treatment was so non-invasive that I didn’t have to spend a single night in hospital. And yet, not but sixty year ago, women were fucking lobotomised. It makes me straight up appreciate how lucky I am to live in the time we live in, because but for the tick of the clock, there go I.

Emma

Eva Peron also had unusual circumstances around her cancer, even for the time. Firstly, she didn’t know she had cancer, and was constantly informed that her symptoms were from all sorts of different things. Because of this, she put of any treatment and therefore allowed the cancer to completely ravage her body until it was too late. The lobotomy was because poor Eva was in severe, severe pain in the last few months of her life. Her last public appearance, she was held up by a large metal contraption hidden by a fur coat as she was too weak to stand, and by the end of the night she was visibly shaking in agony.

len132

Can you do Eleanor of Aquitaine? Please please please?!?!?

MR

Yeah what a feminine character – Kate Hepburn’s take on her in ‘Lion in the Winter’. Plantagenet – the Normans.

frenchhousewife

yes yes please pretty please Eleanor of Aquitaine! I was in Chinon this summer and had some vague ideas about things she accomplished, but I think reading it here would be so much better!

Edward Serow

As I read through these articles and following comments my thoughts take me back to the six years of actually knowing the Senora.Some opinions presented here contain some reality but none of the offerings tell it like it really was.Like the lady herself, the complex 33 short years of her life will never be known completely.My comment is short and as they say, sweet.It was the greatest six years of my life.She was/is very special. Viva Evita

GreerLovesGovert

Great write up, Jennifer. You’re a very entertaining writer. Now I’m going to have to watch “Evita”.

Randi Newton

WOW! I thought I knew everything about Evita…not the the lobotomy though, hardcore! No idea. I do know that one of her embalmed fingers broke off since her body was in-transit so much.
Did you ever see that made for tv movie about Evita starring Faye Dunnaway in the late 80′s. Good times!

Naomi

Can we have one on Ching Shih? She was one of the most bad-ass pirates in history.

Ninon de l’Enclos? Juliette Récamier?

Heather H

Jennifer, you really need a link to all of the Shelved Doll posts, maybe as one of the header options or a sidebar? Clicking on the tag doesn’t bring them all up.